Three stars from Thursday's NBA playoff games

New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson | 40 points, seven assists, 15-for-33

It's a simple rule: If you put up a 40-piece and hit a series-winning shot in the final seconds, you're one of the stars of the night. Jalen Brunson shot 15-for-33 in the Knicks' 116-113 win over the Detroit Pistons, with the winning margin coming on a Brunson three-pointer with five seconds to play.

Brunson's last-second excellence saved what was looking like an epic choke by the Knicks. They'd blown an 11-point lead and been outscored 27-9 for the first 9:38 of the fourth quarter, stymied by the Pistons' defense. Brunson was 1-for-9 in the fourth and had a foul he drew taken away on review, while the Detroit crowd chanted "flopper!"

Fans weren't chanting anything after Brunson scored eight of the Knicks final 11 points and closed out the game, and the series. He may have tired out after carrying his team's offense for three quarters, but he came through in the final minutes to save the game and clinch a second-round date with the Boston Celtics.

Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden | 28 points, eight assists, six rebounds

James Harden might have a history of underperforming in elimination playoff games, but you wouldn't have known that from how he started Game 6. He had 21 points and four assists in the first half, keeping pace with Jokic and controlling the pace of the game, getting to the line for five foul shots.

Harden may have appeared to get too conservative late, running the shot clock down and often letting the Clippers offense stagnate as the Nuggets made a comeback. But his "prevent offense" paid off as the Clippers successfully ran out the clock on the Nuggets comeback as he played mistake-free basketball down the stretch. Wins don't count any less when they're boring.

Los Angeles Clippers forward Nic Batum | six points, two blocks, two steals

Before last season, Nic Batum's wife declared that her husband would retire from both the NBA and international basketball after the Summer Olympics in Paris. Then he got traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, won a silver medal at the Olympics and returned to the Clippers for at least one year. 

And one more huge playoff game.

The 36-year-old Batum played nearly the entire second half for the Clippers. He only scored three points, but he did everything else, grabbing five rebounds, dishing four assists and blocking two shots. Batum played center in a small-ball lineup that kept the Nuggets at bay in the final quarter, and stayed in to block shots even when Ivica Zubac returned.

A big team like the Nuggets creates matchup problems. Batum solves a lot of them.